There’s so much music out there, especially in the death metal quadrant, that having a reliable place to find something to crush your head musically is a gift in and of itself. Not that searching and finding new bands and sounds isn’t an exciting venture, but knowing what you’re going to get, and that it’s going to nail the sweet spot, is just as satisfying.

Japanese death metal power Coffins have been delivering the goods for nearly 30 years now, and on their sixth record “Sinister Oath,” you’re served another heaping helping of the good stuff. Over nine tracks and 43 minutes, the band—vocalist Tokita, guitarist Uchino, bassist Atake, drummer Hikida—lays waste bodily and mentally, layering muddy and doomy death into a boiling cauldron that is black and gooey, yet strangely alluring. It’s a similar battering ram this band has used over the years, and it’s just as well oiled and mangling as ever. Reliability in the form of audio violence.

“B.T.C.D.” is a savage instrumental opener built with sinister riffs, drums scalding, and a filthy underbelly, spilling into “Spontaneous Rot” that’s both slow driving and frothing at the mouth. Ugly growls sicken bellies as the playing batters, twisting into grime and torment, the leads blazing as the punishment rots and leaves only decay behind. “Forced Disorder” is ugly when it dawns, and then speed becomes a factor, clobbering and dragging you into grimy hell, everything curdling in your tummy. The soloing takes off and bubbles, infernal tidings greet you, the playing grinds your face into an ash pile. The title track sinks into thick doom clouds, the playing driving at a deliberate pace, the chugging and growling feeling insurmountable. Total destruction explodes as a fast-paced fury comes unglued, the playing lathering and landing gut punches. “Chain” opens with drums powering, brutal slashing opening fresh wounds, and a crushing force consuming all. Leads stretch as a strange, spacey voice gets into your mind, and everything thrashes unforgivingly.

“Everlasting Spiral” scrapes flesh off skulls, pummeling through thick sludge, the leads glimmering as the track thrashes away and even leads into bluesy simmering. The tempo begins to torture slowly, barreling into doom, blasting bones and blood before the growls finally barrel in about seven minutes into the carnage. Fiery punishment scalds as growls retch, and the battering claims another victim. “Things Infestation” blisters as ferocity spews forth as if from a furnace, the growls stinging, the drums digging into cranial cavities. Psychedelic leads fire up, erupting and hulking, trudging to the bitter end. “Headless Monarch” blasts and pulverizes, mashing as the growls lacerate. The clobbering playing slows deliberately as the torture is meted out in calculated fashion, the death storm swirling and eating through flesh. Closer “Domains of Black Miasma” pounds away, the soot spreads liberally, the growls retch as if bringing up buckets of stomach acid. Fiery playing melts faces as the guitars turn humid, stretching through relentless steam, landing devastating blows until fading into hell.

Coffins remain a relentless force for doom-emblazoned death metal on “Sinister Oath,” another solid slab of devious darkness and devastating power. Six records and nearly three decades of service have made Coffins one of the most respected and revered bands in all of death metal, and their impressive resume just got a little more unstoppable. There aren’t a lot of surprises, but there doesn’t need to be with carnage this satisfying.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/intothecoffin/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/pages/coffins-sinister-oath

For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/

There are enough bad things that happen in life that can cut us off from feeling any sense of positivity. Pain and disillusionment are everywhere, and there have been stretches the past few years that have made the seemingly simple act of just surviving seem like an insurmountable task. Surviving is the key, but getting there can be torturous.

“Celestial Shine” is the first record from Waidelotte, a band combining members of other notable beasts including White Ward, Soen, and Naoni Orchestra. This nine-track record is a conceptual piece of sorts about a central character that suffers from a disheartening life journey that has brought chaos and pain. This journey hurtles through despair, death, and rebirth, navigating through darkness that can scar one’s psyche. The band’s core—vocalist Andrii Pechatkin, guitarist Mykhailo Bogaichuk, bassist Oleksii “Zlatoyar” Kobel—plies progressive black metal with Ukrainian folk music, and they are joined by a slew of pivotal guests including Cody Lee Ford (guitars), Nata Hrytsenko (ethnic vocals), Sofiya Ruban (ethnic vocals), Olena Pavlovska (ethnic vocals), Igor Roshenets (vocals), Anna Buziian (vocals), Serhiy Vasyliuk (spoken word), Gordiy Starukh (hurdy-gurdy), Vlad Vakolyuk (bandura), Ivan Hnativ (tsymbaly), and composer Solar Kollapse.

“Descending” opens with sorrowful acoustics and birds chirping, an intro cut that spills into “The Era of Stagnant Gods” that explodes open with wild prog fuel. Shrieks rampage as the playing punishes, ethnic folk instrumentation setting in another layer. The hammering intensity returns as the power rains down, clean calls swirl, and cosmos swallows everything. “Todestrieb” is chunky and heavy, shrieks menacing as thrashy madness sinks in its teeth. The playing fades into rustic strings, setting a brief sense of calm before the shrieks mar anew, and the thorns dig into flesh, ending in numbing majesty. “Opulent Mirage” unloads and stirs, the shrieks ripping as the singing swells, filling your chest. The playing easily fills the senses, and then acoustics rise, layering over speaking and dreamy enchantment before the chaos jars, scorching amid choral calls that ice bones.

“The Mortality Archway” delivers great riffs, blistering growls that retch, and an intensity that spikes and then pulls back suddenly. Strings echo and intensify, shrieks return and dizzy, and the chugging thickens, barreling its way into “Ascending” a brief instrumental with acoustics, native instruments, and synth beams that cool. “Lightkeeper” brings jabbing riffs and rubbery bass, the shrieks and howls tearing at flesh and making the ground buckle. Calm washes over as choral voices mix into the fray, adding a sense of beauty and delicacy before everything ramps up all over again, shrieks contributing bruising and slashing might. “Celestial Shrine” enters amid echoed strings, and then sinister riffs dig in, progressive-minded leads taking the reins. The storming pace is compelling, moodiness thickens, and the playing finally tapers off into mist. Closer “Dissolving” is ominous, sounds hovering, a chilling ambiance sinking into bloodstreams created by Sound Kollapse. Chimes reverberate as static builds, a synth haze moving overhead, the dream slowly fading away.

“Celestial Shrine” recounts a very relatable, human experience, one that eventually finds us all at some point in our lives. The music Waidelotte commit to this record brims with chaos but also with boisterous spirit, one that revels in the theme of rebirth. This is an exciting, riveting adventure that grows more revealing with each experience.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/waidelottemusic

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

Metal is perhaps the only style of music where age is celebrated. Sure, you do have older musicians touring and drawing crowds late into life, but none have artists making vibrant, relevant music that resonates with their audiences. There’s no age limit to metal, and as the first crop of the pioneers get into their golden years, they prove they still have plenty to contribute to the scene.

Death metal veterans Suffer fit into that category, and while they might not be of Judas Priest age yet, they’ve been around and helped shape this sound into what it is. The band has been at it for more than three decades now, but they only have two full-length records to their name, the latest being the monstrous “Grand Canvas of the Aesthete.” They might not have the back catalog of a Carcass or Autopsy, but they sure as hell helped shape the sound, and this latest album, initially thought as a swan song, seems to have breathed new life back into the band—vocalist/guitarist C.R. Petit, and guitarists Daron Petit and Justin Aeschliman form the core, while bassist Jason Ellsworth and drummer Rene Gerbrandij round out the lineup for this record. It’s brutal, gory, and exploding with horrors and demons.

The opening title track is an eerie and strange burst, voices swirling as the playing thickens, creaky growls digging under fingernails. Muddy leads turns into a frenzy of guitars, punishing and trudging, the shrieks raining down, mauling to a slurry finish. “Ashened Frolic; the Exquisite Promenade” waylays with death, the growls crushing as leads tease, feeling sinewy and massively heavy. The guitars spread and sprawl as things get fluid and fiery, trudging through vile growls and splattering playing that feel like a battering ram. “Plentiful • Copious • Bountiful” dawns with melodic rage, violent growls loosening bone, the assault swaggering with violence and attitude. Snarls crawl through filth while the playing gets streamier, the blood choking and gurgling, the leads scorching and leaving burnt flesh behind. “Inhalent Caustic Foray” bruises immediately and things get ugly and massive, the growls savaging amid a cloud of dual leads. Howls curdle as the guitars heat up, trampling with reckless abandon, blazing to a smoking finish.

“The Fetching Cranley Gardens” is scary when it opens, feeling haunting as the track revisits gruesome murders from the late ’70 and early ’80s. Hulking terror pays the proper amount of fright, striking with ugly vocals, the leads going off and spiraling into the cosmos. Shrieks tell of the terror, the playing is pummeling and morbid, coming to a brutal end. “Carnal Flesh Parade” blasts with strangling growls, crushingly heavy riffs, and raspy fire. Leads swim in guts as things get fierce and bloodier, throaty howls carving bone, the playing leaving a blur behind. “Pernicious Precarious Mess” opens with the bass plodding, guitars piercing, and a thick humidity coating everything with a thick blanket of unease. The rot sets in as teeth sink into bone, the ferocity boiling over, violence stomping on prone bodies. The stench of decomposition rises and gags, dual leads leaving ash in their wake. Closer “Human Primal Cuts” drubs and scars, the leads simmering as the body of the song bludgeons. Meaty howls destroy as gargantuan pressure mounts, the howls ripping limb from limb, the jerky pace blasting to the end.

“Grand Canvas of the Aesthete” might have started as a potential end point, but Suffer dump so much malicious vision and devastating gore that it would be a shame to leave this much fuel in the tank. This is death metal from its disgusting veins, the roots long since given way to rot, yet this band still finds inspiration in that cesspool. This also is a really fun record, especially for those of us who basked in death metal’s stench for so long, giving another reason to be excited by this punishing style.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/SufferSD/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://suffersd.bandcamp.com/album/grand-canvas-of-the-aesthete?label=2557202525&tab=music

Or here (International): https://wisebloodrecords.8merch.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://wisebloodrecords.com/

There are records that come along every now and again that fill your entire body with something indescribable. It’s something that takes you over and lives inside of you, your brain and heart making a connection to art and practically allowing it to become a part of your DNA. When those moments strike, you know you’ve discovered something that will stick with you for years to come.

“Nocturnal Will” is the fourth record from Swedish crushers Dödsrit, and as good as their music was before, this collection takes them into a new place altogether. This six-track effort explodes with life even in its bleakest moments, and for a record that ends with the line, “Will death still bring me relief, even when it’s by my own hand?” it leaves you feeling surprisingly energized. Sure, there is plenty of darkness and morose feelings on this record, but the band—vocalist/guitarist Christoffer Oster, guitarist/vocalist Georgios Maxoris, bassist Jelle Soolsma, drummer Brendan Duffy—manages to also make this a power source for those downtrodden along with them, mourning what we’ve lost, trying to find a way to blaze a path into the future.

“Irjala” rips open with hyper-melodic riffs, rushing as shrieks crush, Oster howling, “Dangling on a knife’s blade, blinded by hope, dreams disappearing down a pitch black hole.” The storms gush as energetic shrieks rain down, the playing getting your blood racing through your veins, eventually going cold before coming out molten on the other side. The howls destroy as the playing hammers, flooding with guitars as the emotions multiply, glimmering to a finish. “Nocturnal Fire” also dawns with amazing riffs, the playing splattering as the howls pierce, the pace igniting and taking on a bit of a hardcore edge. Screams punish as a cascade of pillowy guitars lather, the energy exploding with catchiness, fanning the open flames. The pace laps and lathers, beaming and burning, the final few minutes a fiery stretch of instrumental drama. “Ember and Ash” is a quick instrumental piece that’s calm and built on rustic acoustics, settling into the fog.

“Utmed Gyllbergens” is an instrumental that launches with glorious leads and the playing layering and lapping, delivering infectious energy. The heartfelt playing gets inside of you, the dual leads glowing, disappearing into an acoustic dash. “As Death Comes Reaping” blasts out of guitars dawning and hanging, atmospheric energy cascading. “Written by my sorrows, carved into my flesh, tales of lost battles, this eulogy to the end,” Oster barks as the pace pulsates, melodies acting like a tidal wave that covers you whole. Later, the guitars take on a classic power metal vibe for a stretch, igniting fires and gushing with enthusiasm, finally landing with a powerful wallop. Closer “Celestial Will” hammers with riffs, shrieks raining down as a melodic fury takes hold. Blood surges as the vocals jab, Oster leveling with, “As long as my wounds bleed, as long as my heart grieves, as long as I live this tragedy, time won’t heal anything.” That’s a punch in the gut. Guitars light up as the pace ignites, speedy riffs toppling, the fluid and colorful pace consuming everything, the final moments acting like a blast to your ribcage.

“Nocturnal Will” is a record that makes you feel every last drop, its hurricane of riffs and emotional vocals creating something that wells up inside of you. Dödsrit always have worn their emotions on the outside of them, but this record is something even bigger, a storming force that takes over your psyche. Even amid the pain, turmoil, and grief expressed on this record that stretches through the ages, there’s such an powerful undercurrent that makes you feel alive and injects you with a force that carries you on its back.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/DODSRIT

To buy the album, go here: https://wolvesofhades.myshopify.com/collections/dodsrit

Or here (U.S.): https://shapeofstormsrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

For more on the label, go here: https://wolvesofhades.myshopify.com/

Darkness always has lived in the rotting heart of death metal, which should be as obvious a sentiment as anything we’ve ever said on this site. It’s a sickening, destructive medium very much on purpose, and it exists to express the most sinister and maniacal ideas humanity is capable of producing. It’s why it’s so alluring and devastating.

Aberration deliver a debut record “Refracture” that exists solely in the thick shadows, lurking and waiting to strike. Over five tracks and 42 brutal minutes, the band—guitarist/vocalist JH, bassist/vocalist DH, guitarist AW, drummer EC—practically weaponizes the idea of suffocating one with darkness, smothering the very idea that positivity and light ever can exist again. This unit brings together members of other heavy crushers such as Void Rot, Suffering Hour, Annihilation Cult, and others to create death metal even deadlier, making this record heavy both musically and mentally.

“Antithesis” fires up and smears, the blistering death chaos spreading generously, the roars compounding with volcanic leads. The guitars sprawl and destroy as a tornadic pace eats its way across land, disorienting as sounds bathe and bubble, the growls retching. A weird aura takes hold as everything comes unglued, the playing leaving extremities tingling, guitars gutting as everything disappears into dissonant hell. “Wresting Vibrations” enters amid tangling guitars, blistering and carving into flesh, a psyche fury frying brain cells. Weirdness surrounds as growls belch, a disorienting aura spreading as the playing leaves you dizzy. Howls crumble as the terror is sucked into a black hole, strange, spacey noises float, and a strangling racket blackens eyes.

“Interstitial Enmity” pounds away, punishing and landing insane blows, a warped sense causing feverish dreams as growls usher in menace. The playing makes your brain feel like it’s melting in your skull as guitars spit heat, trudging and pummeling, blazing off in a storm. “Blighted” slams in with tricky riffs, a pounding tempo, and howls echoing, the battering ram doing ample physical and mental damage. The guitars trick as the hypnosis gets to dangerous levels, disappearing into a bizarre haze. The closing title track slips into a slurry pace, the playing coming unhinged, lurching and trudging into maniacal forces. The growls engorge, destroying as animalistic blasts shred flesh, devastating as riffs race and make your adrenaline spike. Punishing guitars lacerate, the cloud coverage gets ominously thick, and the final jolts and fluid humidity blast into the heart of the cosmos.

“Refracture” is dense and wholly dark, a record that feels intimidating and frightening, making its absorption something of a physical and mental challenge. And it’s worth it to go through the chaos as Aberration make the best of their time and grind your well-being into a convulsing pile of dust. This is music designed to get inside your psyche and drive nails into your mental faculties, and they’re shockingly effective at accomplishing that.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Aberrationdeath

To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/aberration-refracture

For more on the label, go here: https://sentientruin.com/

There’s a lot of consternation over where the human experiment is headed. We’ve taken horrible care of the planet that houses us, and our mental faculties are decaying rapidly due to our obsession with social media. Fuck, that’s only two instances of a slew of things we’re committing to ensure the end of civilization comes sooner than expected.

“Maze Envy” is the second record from LA-based death metal power Civerous, and the bio accompanying said album describes the creation as “end-of-times music” for a planet really close to the bitter end. The record is seven tracks and 42 minutes of miasmal chaos, the feeling you’re locked in a nightmare that refuses to release its grip or show any mercy. The band—vocalist Lord Foul, guitarists Daniel Salinas and Alonso Santana, bassist Drew Horton, drummer Aidan Neuner—locks you into a psychologically stimulating corner, and while you contemplate the planet dying, you also imagine yourself morphing into another plane, your soul ascending into a bizarre new reality.  

“The Azure Eye” is a quick intro cut that has sounds simmering and eerie strings, the unsettling echoes leading into “Shrouded in Crystals” that starts sooty and doomy. The growls retch over hypnotic synth clouds, the muddy trudging churning and leaving bruised flesh. The bass clobbers as shrieks strike, a battering force takes hold, and the riffs swagger, dripping out into a strange noise swarm. “Endless Symmetry” is an interlude with strange clean guitars, and then breezy and unsettling passages leak in, simmering off into “Labyrinth Charm.” The tempo is punishing and meaty, the growls crushing as monstrous striking aims to take off heads. The growls crush as the leads soar, a guttural fury taking hold and tearing out guts, and then a dream haze takes over, melodies melting into the sky.

“Levitation Tomb” starts with clean guitars dripping, and then a jolt ushers in skullduggery, the howls wailing as the keys cascade. The pace mashes and drags everything into the mud, the growls turn nauseating, and a hulking pace drags the track into total darkness. The title track begins in a disorienting storm, chugging through boiling keys, rippling charges, and guitars snarling into an enveloping haze. Hypnotic leads unfurl and go cold, strings glazing with mental iciness, the playing gushing weird dreams. The heat overloads as the howls level walls, melodies leading off into a mist. Closer “Geryon (The Plummet)” is awash in doom as the playing aches, the howls ripping and tearing into a battering tempo. The growls destroy as mind-altering melodies sink into the earth, lava lapping from cracked rock, a brief push of serenity devoured whole by madness. The playing lurches and stomps as the stirring power cascades, consumed by fiery gloom.

Our time appears to be drawing short as we scorch the planet and continue to make increasingly poorer decisions, and Civerous are only too happy to drag us there. “Maze Envy” perfectly encapsulates the madness in which we’re now ensconced, and this twisted display of death and doom metal makes the ideal soundtrack to leave behind for whoever cleans up our mess. This is a hulking, snaking display that works its way inside your mind and blackens any hope you have for the remaining days.

For more on the band, go here: https://civerous.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/civerous

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Who knows what lurks in the deepest regions of the ocean? There are sections where no one has or can investigate and potentially there are lifeforms no being ever has encountered before and maybe never will. It makes that more terrifying but also adds a level of intrigue to know we share an earth with things we’ll never understand.

Lhaäd is a band helmed by sole creator Lykormas, and the project’s name is an anagram of hadal, the hadopelagic zone that is the deepest region of the ocean. On their second record “Beneath,” the majesties of what lurks so far beneath the surface creeps even deeper into their murky black metal, flooding you with mystery and emotion. At the same time, these six songs that spread over 40 minutes also bask in the cosmos, a place as dark and mysterious as the ocean floor where most of us never will go.

“Beneath I” opens with waters bubbling, slowly dawning before the cavernous howls strike. The playing then explodes and gets spacious, spacey wooshes rocketing through the atmosphere, the growls carving your senses. Black metal-style melodies well, speed tears through, and the track comes to a storming close. “Beneath II” rushes through space, acidic wails punishing, the pace scarring and leaving bruising on your lungs. Guitars cut through as the inventive curves thrill, the playing getting even more penetrating, sending shockwaves through your nervous system, waves crashing and nature crawling into “Beneath III” that’s serene before stomping. Strange noises zap as the roars wrench, and relentless chaos crashing down, the guitars immersing you in the deep vastness of the waves. The mood turns wondrous and oceanic, the howls burst in your chest, and an immersive synth cloud envelopes everything and ushers in total darkness.

“Beneath IV” super charges right away, fantastical playing creating a dream state, drilling through bizarre warbling that eats into your brain. Wrenching melodies and hypnotic pressure meet up with beastly growls, the guitars eventually disappearing into a sound bath. “Beneath V” brings thundering riffs, a disorienting pace, and howls piercing the serenity. Speaking creeps and scrapes, eventually combusting and sending intergalactic shrapnel flying, hammering with precision. The growls destroy as the pace hits a fever pitch, bringing everything to a breath-taking ending. Closer “Beneath VI” has guitars awakening and strangeness hovering overhead, unsettling noises sweltering as the vocals rumble and retch. The leads glaze as the lower end trudges, roars pelting as storming power takes control. Chanted howls encircle as everything fades, the bones slipping into the deepest part of a hungry ocean.

In a strange way, Lhaäd make the vast ocean more expansive and terrifying at the same time on “Beneath.” It’s a sonic world in which it’s easy to get lost, the playing and the mysteries creating a sort of mini universe found in the darkest, most unreachable regions of the seas. We may never know what lurks there, but taking on this band’s music helps charge your imagination and adds an extra level to this riveting album.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/thenoxentity

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.amor-fati-productions.de/en/

Or here: https://www.facebook.com/extraconsciousrecords

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod

And here: https://entropicrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/beneath

It’s the Beer Video yet again, and we both accidentally picked unconventional beverages. Hel W-f has an interesting oak-aged extra special rye from Modist Brewing Company with cool can art that goes perfectly with International Women’s Day. Brian has an oatmeal brown with apple cinnamon tea from Hitchhiker Brewing that has some unexpected results. Shirt reveal, discussion, cats are mentioned but not present. Anyway.

Convention is heavy music is fine, and if every band went off the rails and did crazy shit, it would be really difficult to stomach. Luckily, that’s not the world in which we’re ensconced, so we do have more bands expressing extreme sounds in more interesting manners, be that sound-wise or with their aesthetic. Different is good as long as it’s genuine.

Which leads us to deathgrind ghouls Brat and their stunning debut record “Social Grace,” a 10-track, 21-minute offering that goes fucking hard. The band’s self-assigned “bimbocore” and “Barbiegrind” titles are amusing on the surface but deadly serious, and the band—vocalist Liz Selfish, guitarist Brenner Moate, bassist Ian Hennessey, drummer Dustin Eagan—makes that very apparent early on. Metal folks are weird and tied to aforementioned convention, so there’s bound to be eye rolling by those who fear a challenge. That would be a massive error. And fuck those people. This is a record full of morbid visions, disgust for the ruling class, and a deep serving of inclusion, and I love every second of that and this record.

“Ego Death” tears open, Selfish wailing, “Self-destruct, remove me from myself,” as the playing drives hard, mangling and testing, bruising as it blows by in no time. “Hesitation Wound” is another barnstormer, delivering metallic, yet sludgy riffs, raspy howls, and a trudging tempo that feels like it’s here to take off your head. “Slow Heat” brings burning playing, bass flexing, and the howls decimating, Selfish blasting, “Tempted of grandeur, tempted of fate, without salvation, hell salivates.” Strong riffs punish as the punchy, thrashing tempo loosens teeth and leave them in piles on the ground. “Truncheon” blasts through as the vocals gargle glass, and the guitars scorch and leave the earth torched. Everything turns thrashier, crushing and stomping through mud, ending in a pile of nuclear waste. “Human Offense” raises the temperature, and then things turn moody and crushing, the bass trampling, things finding a way to get even more intense. Selfish howls, “Imperfect son born of hate, a false existence etched in slate, the heart of man like bitter earth, spoiled whole, what are we worth,” raising the stakes as the track pummels thoroughly.

“Rope Drag” starts sludgy and confrontational, the guitars churning, Selfish scowling, “No foe to best, without place to rest, grip on life, stalling.” The tempo boils as the guitars race, brutality settles, and everything fades into feedback. “Blood Diamond” is punchy as hell as the drums crush bones, group shouts agitate, and Selfish’s properly abrasive howls carve flesh off your bones. Muddy and fiery, the stakes are raised quickly before a violent, abrupt end. “Snifter” bruises right away as the riffs ignite, and the vocals echo in your eardrums. “No hurt, no pain, no desire,” Selfish howls, “to feign I am released,” as the steam rises, and guttural chugs twist your guts, the guitars blistering and charring flesh. “Sugar Bastard” brings dominating riffs and a weighty hardcore feel that immediately turns up the violence. A breakdown melts bone, and then a swaggering assault paints with attitude and heat, leaving behind deep wounds. The closing title track brings encircling guitars and even a dose of doom as the cloud cover thickens overhead. “With no glory we staked our claim, an earth that hates us, we are to blame,” Selfish levels, dripping with truth, as the bass trudges, and the molten force burns you into rock formation.

There are no holds barred on “Social Grace,” Brat’s destructive debut record, and from their blazed-earth message about social and political matters as well as their devastating sound, this band is likely to make a massive mark in 2024. Sure, some might dismiss this band over their “Barbiegrind” label and splash of pink over a clearly festering wound, but not taking them deadly seriously would be a massive error. This is a scorching, violent record, one that will leave unsuspecting fools gasping on the ground afterward.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/brat504

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.prostheticrecords.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://prostheticrecords.com/

Some things are just meant to be no matter how much hardship is involved, no matter the struggles that must be overcome to get over the finish line. We’ve all seen hard times the last few years, and even as we return to a sense of normalcy, it’s still fresh in most people’s minds just how hard we had to work to get things done and out into the world.

Florida-based hardcore band Gouge Away almost didn’t make it back. There was music that started and then was shelved, and then they went on hiatus when the pandemic happened, making it very possible we’d never see their third record. Luckily, the band—vocalist Christina Michelle, guitarists Mick Ford and Dylan Downey, bassist Tyler Forsythe, drummer Thomas Cantwell—pulled those new songs off the shelf, got back to writing and performing, and now we have “Deep Sage,” an album that still has plenty of their fiery DNA but also adds more texture into their sounds. These 11 songs spread over 35 minutes have poppy and murky moments, and a lot of this could find audiences beyond heavy music fans and into new terrain altogether. If they do, it’s well deserved.

“Stuck in a Dream” charges up right away, Michelle’s raspy singing leaving brush burns, the heat turning dangerous in a hurry. The chorus rips while some zany playing adds an element of fun, burning off into exhaust. “Maybe Blue” is catchy and melodic, the guitars bubbling over, punching and tangling into a haze. The singing sends jolts while getting screamier over the chorus, and the final moments pack a ’90s-style rock punch that’s powerful and effective. “Idealized” sends electricity as the singing is strong but a little softer at first, breathing fire as the story develops. The playing swings back and jars as Michelle calls, “No apology means no apology,” as the track stomps blood into the ground. The title track opens with guitars charging the gates, yelled singing and screams uniting, and the melodies gushing brightly. Noisy and punchy, the track lays waste, leaning into noise, Michelle’s vocals leaving bruising and scarring. “A Welcome Change” eases in, Michelle’s singing flowing generously, sounds ringing as the guitars buzz. The bass trudges as warmth and reflection rise, slipping into an indie rock vibe that exposes new texture.

“Overwatering” is fluid with confrontational vocals, shrieks ripping as hand claps make your blood rush. The playing gets creative and tricky as Michelle howls over the chaos, disorienting before it fades. “No Release” speeds in with a hardcore tenacity, blazing as Michelle howls, “Can’t control it, it’s in my blood!” The forceful storming continues as howls trample, and the final blasts slam the door shut. “The Sharpening” unloads with jostling riffs and a burst of speed, Michelle’s shrieks blazing past your eardrums. The pace keeps adding fuel to the fire, the screams rampaging and the pace strengthening the grip that’s around your neck. “Spaced Out” is cold water to the face, Michelle demanding, “I need space!” The playing is colorful and confrontational, a quick microburst that doesn’t last long but leaves plenty of damage behind. “Newtau” is warmer with Michelle’s singing feeling more delicate to match the mood. Of course, that doesn’t last as the pace picks up, the bass playing blackens eyes, and everything begins to disintegrate as the howls begin to maul. The guitars glimmer as the pace softens, simmering and fading away. Closer “Dallas” is moody and glistening, the singing glazing as the guitars make the hairs on your arm stand. There’s a bit of a Speedy Ortiz flavor to what’s going on here, the tempo playing with your emotions, the guitars feeling poppy and fuzzy, wordless calls fading into noise.

“Deep Sage” refused to fall and continued to live deep in the shadows until these songs were ready to see the light of day. Luckily, perseverance won out in the end, and Gouge Away sound like a unit with renewed purpose and vigor, ready to put all of themselves into their music again. This album defies definitive genre tags as it really contains so many elements, that you can’t affix a name. What matters is how good and honest and catchy this record is, and it finally will get to live the full life it richly deserved.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/gougeawayfl

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://deathwishinc.com/collections/gouge-away

Or here (Europe): https://deathwishinc.eu/collections/gouge-away?sort_by=created-descending

For more on the label, go here: https://deathwishinc.com/